Blow to Putin as two £170m Russian warships 'are hit by Ukraine missiles' in overnight bombardment of Black Sea naval port

Ukraine has claimed to have hit two more large Russian large warships and destroyed its Black Sea Fleet communications centre in a deadly overnight strike.

The Yamal and the Azov landing ships, each worth £170 million, were both hit in the overnight onslaught while in Black Sea naval port Sevastopol, according to reports.

It is believed British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles were unleashed, targeting key infrastructure in the heaviest bombardment of the Crimean city to date. 

Ukrainian high command has not confirmed if this was by missile or drone, but other attacks on ships this year have been by deadly kamikaze sea drones.

Ukrainian Telegram channel Pravda Gerashchenko announced: 'In occupied Sevastopol, the Ukrainian Defence Forces successfully hit the large landing ships Yamal and Azov, the Communications Centre and several infrastructure facilities of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.' 

Image of the attack that took place last night on the city of Sevastopol, believed to be the heaviest bombardment of the city to date

Ukrainian high command has not confirmed if this was by missile or drone, but other attacks on ships this year have been by deadly kamikaze sea drones

The Yamal and the Azov (pictured) landing ships, each worth £170 million, were both hit in the overnight onslaught while in Black Sea naval port Sevastopol, according to reports

The Yamal a Ropucha class landing ships would have a normal crew of 98

Earlier it was claimed that Ukraine had struck the main communications centre of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in a Storm Shadow strike.

There was no immediate Russian reaction to the claims by StratCom of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that the two warships had been damaged or destroyed.

If confirmed, it will be a devastating blow to Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin.

Footage shows the major strikes on Sevastopol during the night.

Both vessels are 369ft in length and were built in Gdansk, Poland during the Soviet era, but have since been modernised.

It is understood that the Yamal and the Azov, two Ropucha class landing ships would have a normal crew of 98, and 87 respectively.

The strike comes days after Admiral Alexander Moiseev, 61, was made commander-in-chief of the Russian navy after the dictator abruptly fired previous incumbent Admiral Nikolay Yevmenov, who had held the post for five years, over a previous battleship sinking by Ukraine.

Footage shows the major strikes on Sevastopol during the night. The strike comes days after Admiral Alexander Moiseev, 61, was made commander-in-chief of the Russian navy after the dictator abruptly fired previous incumbent

Footage from the bombardment last night. Russia has lost more than a quarter of its fleet - some 21 vessels - in the war, including the early sinking in 2022 of flagship Moskva, in a Neptune missile strike by Ukraine

Earlier this month the £51 million Sergey Kotov patrol vessel, one of Putin's newest naval ships, was sunk by a flock of unmanned MAGURA V5 attack drones.

Last month the £170 million Caesar Kunikov large landing ship was also destroyed.

Russia has lost more than a quarter of its fleet - some 21 vessels - in the war, including the early sinking in 2022 of flagship Moskva, in a Neptune missile strike by Ukraine.

The Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol were also blitzed in a missile strike last year.

Putin also fired Admiral Viktor Sokolov, 61, commander-in-chief of the Black Sea Fleet last month, in the wake of the loss of the Caesar Kunikov warship.

Putin has now lost an astonishing 17 warships since the beginning of the 25-month war with Ukraine, and six since the end of December last year.